1. Create work-at-home boundaries
During this time of uncertainty, developing a new routine with more structure in your day can help create some sense of normalcy.
If you’re someone who used to decompress during your commute, creating a new routine that mimics your old commute can break up the workday and give you a chance to set and maintain boundaries.
Ways to distinguish work from free time in the evenings can include going for a walk as soon as you close your laptop screen, having a shower, or doing a home workout.
It’s important to focus on meeting all of your basic needs, like sleep and stepping away from screens. Routines can change as life does, so don’t panic when that happens: adapt, set new routines, and carry on!
2. Get moving
Cardiovascular exercises have been proven to buffer emotional ups and down, stabilize emotional reactions, and release endorphins (hormones that relieve stress and pain).
Even simply increasing your daily step count can break up your day-to-day and allow your mind to get a much-needed break.
Maintaining regular movement can really help manage these feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and stress in the long term.
3. Focus on self-care
Once life gets busy, we often prioritize looking after others first, and when that happens, we can forget to care for our own needs.
Whether it’s taking an online meditation class, learning a new skill, or indulging in a relaxing bubble bath, try to incorporate activities that you enjoy and that allow you to rest and recharge.
4. Pay attention to your eating
It’s quite normal for our eating patterns to be impacted during periods of heightened stress, anxiety, or sadness.
Food logging can help you track what you’re eating and recognize any unhealthy patterns in your eating routine.
You may be eating more if you’re bored, indulging in comfort foods when stressed or skipping meals when sad.
When you become more mindful of your eating habits, you can begin to slowly change them.
5. Incorporate mindfulness into your day
There’s a huge connection between physical and mental health — and it’s just as important to prioritize our mental welfare as much as the physical.
Setting aside time to practice meditation, or even mindfulness techniques such as breathing exercises, body scans, or mindful walking, can help reduce stress and enable us to be more aware and grounded in the present moment.
6. Find balance and love what you eat
Fad diets are often used as a quick fix, but they aren’t sustainable in the long term. Highly restrictive diets can also be miserable and lead to binges, which can result in feelings of guilt and shame.
This creates a spiral and can lead to more dieting or comfort eating.
It’s important to recognize that food isn’t the enemy: developing a balanced relationship with food and actually enjoying what you eat can be key to having a sustainable lifestyle.
7. Find gratitude
Life is full of ups and downs, and at times you might lose sight of the little things.
Take a moment to find one thing in your life right now to be grateful for. It can be as small as having a bed, food to eat, or technology to communicate with others.
Perhaps it is a loved one in your life who makes you smile.
Recognizing these gratitudes can help contribute to a more positive mindset and allow you to take a different perspective when stress is present.
Source: Noom